


how long is forever? (sometimes just one second)

by dorkslayer



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Backstory, F/F, Racing, Temporary Character Death, kind of a character study?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 10:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12885615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkslayer/pseuds/dorkslayer
Summary: Hurley falls in love, breaks some rules, and dies. Sloane has her covered though.(Or rather, the Hurloane backstory we all deserve.)





	how long is forever? (sometimes just one second)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is an Alice in Wonderland quote I believe

Hurley is a rule follower by nature. Ever since she was young she's just wanted to stick to the rules and do what's right. Once, when she was about 7, she cried when she watched a friend climb up a slide. Hurley's mother had been unable to contain her laughter when she came crying to her, but to Hurley it was the most serious offense anyone could have committed.

It's no surprise to anyone when she joins the militia fresh out of school. Her family and classmates tease her about being predictable, but she doesn't mind. Hurley has a strong sense of right and wrong on top of a toned and flexible body. It's the logical choice but it's definitely the right one for her.

She loves the force, loves the work she does and the people she meets. Knowing that she's helping save the world one crook at a time helps her sleep at night. She has a perfect track record, a model employee really.

And then she meets Sloane.

First of all, Sloane is beyond gorgeous. Hurley is at a complete loss for words when they first meet, and not because Sloane is committing a felony. But Sloane gets away, and Hurley thinks that's the last she'll see of her.

She couldn't be more wrong.

Sloane keeps on popping up again and again and no matter what Hurley does, she can't bring her in. It's both an inability and the fact that by now, she doesn't want to. She and Sloane play a game of cat and mouse for weeks, a chase that ultimately ends in an unlikely partnership.

It happens like this: Hurley loves racing. Her grandfather was a battle wagon racer in his youth, and he'd take her out on the long straight dirt roads for a spin until he was too old for it. She'd grown up with the wind in her face and red dust covering every inch of her. The racing spirit was in her bones, and it itched to be let out.

So when Sloane starts racing? Well Hurley has to go watch because it's her job, but it's certainly no hardship on her to watch Sloane go at it. She's remarkably nimble in her wagon, which is an intimidating and beautiful as it's rider. Sloane is a masterful racer, but she could be better with a partner.

Against her better judgement, Hurley volunteers for that position.

And it's great, it's actually phenomenal. They race so well together and Hurley's heart aches because they could be so great together in other ways too. But it still stands that Sloane is a criminal and Hurley is a cop, no matter how blurry the lines seem to be getting these days.

The races go well and they bring in enough wins to become more than a little infamous. The ram and the raven are known across Goldcliff as talented racers.

When they're in the cart, it's like they're different people. Hurley and Sloane can forget their pasts, forget what's waiting for them when they leave the track. They just exist among the cheers and the dust and the wind. Together, that are invincible. 

But Hurley learns that invincibility isn't always a thing to be praised, because Sloane has changed, and it's all because of that damn sash.

She's reckless enough to make Hurley worry but still so good at racing that it makes her weak in the knees. But deep down she knows that the racer in front of her isn't Sloane, it's a twisted version of a woman she loves.

Love. Just saying the word is like a thousand pound burden has lifted from her shoulder. She loves Sloane, loves her with everything she is. All that's left now is to save her.

At least she doesn't have to do it alone. This band of adventurers can have the stupid belt for all she cares, as long as she can have Sloane.

Magnus, Taako, and Merle are surprisingly competent battle wagon racers, and Hurley thinks they probably look pretty wicked as they speed down the Goldcliff racetrack. 

She's expecting a lot of things for her confrontation with Sloane, but her giving up isn't one of them. Sloane falls and is swallowed up by a literal tornado and Hurley knows in her heart that she would let herself be swallowed up too if it meant joining Sloane. 

Hurley thinks of hurt, of anger, of any emotion strong enough to snap Sloane out of her trance and finally comes to terms with what she has to do.

So she does it, and she doesn't regret it for even a second.

Dying hurts. That's something she probably should have known already, it's not like it's a secret or anything. Maybe it's not the dying that hurts, but the poison that does it. But it's okay, it's so, so okay, because Sloane is back. 

Her love is holding her and the pain is lessened. Sloane looks crushed, heartbroken, but she looks sane at least. Sloane leans down to whisper in her ear.

"Hurley. I can help you, I can make it all go away. And I can make something beautiful grow from the ashes. Are you with me?" 

Sloane's eyes are dark and deep and Hurley just wants to dive right in and swim straight down to her soul. She coughs and gives a weak smile.

"Yeah, I, I think that would be alright." 

Sloane smiles softly, an expression that Hurley isn't used to seeing on her face.

There is a warmth surrounding her, crawling from the tips of her toes and up. A bright light swirls around them and Hurley. Lets. Go.

There is the darkness of finality twined with the light of regrowth and she knows nothing.

\---

Waking up is a strange sensation because it's less like waking up and more like becoming aware again. 

Hurley doesn't so much open her eyes as refocus them. She moves, or tries to, but there's something holding her back. It's almost like ropes, but there's too much give for it to be ropes. Hurley pulls free from her constraints and finally realizes what they are.

They're branches.

Hurley looks around and realizes that she's just pulled herself out of a tree, and everything comes rushing back. The sash, the race, the silverpoint, Sloane. She jerks into an upright position and tries to stumble to her feet. Where is Sloane? What happened to her? And beyond that what happened to Hurley? 

"Slow down, you'll hurt yourself." A calm voice said. 

Hurley whipped around. There was Sloane, lounging casually against the cherry blossom tree Hurley had just emerged from. Hurley gasped, and it came out choked and strangled. She didn't give it a second thought and leaped at Sloane.

They tumbled to the floor, Hurley on the edge of tears and Sloane laughing. 

"What...what happened? I remember the silverpoint and you, but I don't...." Her voice wavered and a little tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

Sloane rubbed her back gently. "I did something good with that gods forsaken belt is what happened. I saved us Hurley, but I imagine there was some divine intervention involved too."

Hurley has to think on that for a moment. "Pan?"

Sloane nods. "If I had to guess I would say it's because we helped out that cleric of his. That plus the use of the sash.....well you get the picture."

Hurley slumps down next to Sloane. The two of them are quiet for a moment, gazing out at sparkling Goldcliff in the morning sun. From their vantage point, it's stunning. People mill about, living their lives as they always had. Everything is the same, and at the same time so, so different."

"So what now?" Hurley asks.

"I don't know. I thought about it some, but I didn't get much further than waiting for you to wake up and then kissing you." She turns to Hurley with a nervous blush. "That's as far as I got."

Hurley laughs. "Well why don't we complete everything on that list and go from there?"

Sloane is already leaning in, their lips almost touching. "Sounds good to me."

As they kiss, life marches on in the city below them, unaware of its two loving protecters.

Hurley smiles against her true loves lips and decides that maybe breaking the rules every once in a while isn't such a bad thing after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This was my first time writing Hurloane so I hope I did okay. Let me know what you thought!


End file.
